Casinos and other forms of gaming comprise a growing multi-billion dollar industry both domestically and abroad, with table games continuing to be an immensely popular form of gaming and a substantial source of revenue for gaming operators. Such table games are well known and can include, for example, poker, blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette and other traditional standbys, as well as other more recently introduced games such as pai-gow, Carribean Stud, Spanish 21, and Let It Ride, among others. Under a typical gaming event at a gaming table, a player places a wager on a game, whereupon a winning may be paid to the player depending on the outcome of the game. As is generally known, a wager may involve the use of cash or one or more chips, markers or the like, as well as various forms of gestures or oral claims. The game itself may involve the use of, for example, one or more cards, dice, wheels, balls, tokens or the like, with the rules of the game and any payouts or pay tables being established prior to game play. As is also known, possible winnings may be paid in cash, credit, one or more chips, markers, or prizes, or by other forms of payouts. In addition to table games, other games within a casino or other gaming environment are also widely known. For instance, keno, bingo, sports books, and ticket drawings, among others, are all examples of wager-based games and other events that patrons may partake of within a casino or other gaming establishment.
Although standard fully manual gaming tables have been around for many years, gaming tables having more “intelligent” features are becoming increasingly popular. For example, many gaming tables now have automatic card shufflers, LCD screens, biometric identifiers, automated chip tracking devices, and even cameras adapted to track chips and/or playing cards, among various other items and devices. Many items and descriptions of gaming tables having such added items and devices can be found at, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. D512,466; 5,613,912; 5,651,548; 5,735,742; 5,781,647; 5,957,776; 6,165,069; 6,179,291; 6,270,404; 6,299,534; 6,313,871; 6,532,297; 6,582,301; 6,651,985; 6,722,974; 6,745,887; 6,848,994; and 7,018,291, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002/0169021; 2002/0068635; 2005/0026680; 2005/0137005; and 20060058084, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, among many other varied references.
Such added items and devices certainly can add many desirable functions and features to a gaming table, although there are currently limits as to what may be accomplished. For example, many gaming table items and devices are designed to provide a benefit to the casino or gaming establishment, and are not particularly useful to a player and/or player friendly. Little to no player excitement or interest is derived from such items and devices. Also, many gaming table items and devices tend to operate in isolation from each other, with little to no communication between devices or any central comprehensive overview. In addition, there currently exists little to no communication from gaming table to gaming table within what could be called a multiple gaming table network. Finally, there are simply a finite number of functions and abilities provided by gaming table items and devices, with new such devices providing new functions and abilities still being desirable.
While existing systems and methods for providing gaming tables and hosting table games at such gaming tables have been adequate in the past, improvements are usually welcomed and encouraged. In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide an interactive gaming table, and in particular for such an interactive gaming table to comprise a more robust selection of automated gaming table items and devices, at least a portion of which are attractive and beneficial to players, and many or all of which are interconnected in a comprehensive centrally coordinated manner.